MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG DISCUSSES LATEST EFFORTS TO CONNECT NEW YORKERS TO JOB OPPORTUNITIES AT THE CITY'S WORKFORCE1 CENTERS, INCLUDING NEW LOCATIONS IN PUBLIC LIBRARIES, IN WEEKLY RADIO ADDRESS

The following is the text of Mayor Bloomberg's weekly radio address as prepared for delivery on 1010 WINS News Radio for Sunday, February 26, 2012.

“Good Morning. This is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.

“Every day, we are working to create more jobs and build a stronger, more diverse economy for the 21st century. At the same time, we’re working to connect more New Yorkers to the jobs that exist today – and to help people gain the skills that will allow them to advance their careers. One of the ways we’re doing both is by creating new Workforce1 Career Centers, including two we opened just last week – on Staten Island’s South Shore and another in Long Island City.

“When our Administration began, there were three career training and job placement centers, connecting only about 500 people a year to jobs. Today, thanks to the work of Commissioner Rob Walsh and our Department of Small Business Services, there are 15 centers – and in 2011 our Workforce1 Career Centers helped connect 35,000 New Yorkers to jobs.

“We’ll open two more centers this year. We’re also partnering directly with businesses, providing more one-on-one counseling to job-seekers, training our workforce for the industries that are growing, and matching employers to the workers they need – all of which helps put more New Yorkers to work.

“What’s more, we’re opening many of our centers in communities where the need for job training and support is greatest. For instance, our new Workforce1 Center in Long Island City is next door to NYCHA’s Queensbridge Houses. We’ve also opened two centers to connect workers to careers in the health care, industrial and transportation industries. Several of our larger Workforce1 Centers are great at connecting New Yorkers to entry-level jobs, while our smaller centers, including the three that we have opened in public libraries, are focused on connecting employees to mid-level jobs.

“Last Tuesday, I visited the Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza to see one of these centers firsthand. Libraries have always served as gateways of opportunity. They’re also the place where people go to get information, use computers, and network – all of which makes them great places to look for a job. That’s why we’ve also opened centers in the Sunset Park Library, as well as the Flushing Library in Queens. And this spring, we’ll launch another new center at the Francis S. Martin branch in University Heights in the Bronx.

“To maximize the value of these centers for the New Yorkers who need them, we’re helping train librarians in the latest job search strategies and labor market trends so they can better serve visitors seeking employment.

“We’re working every day to help more New Yorkers get back to work. Because creating and connecting New Yorkers to jobs is our number one job.